The end and the beginning...

Sometimes it feels as though summer will never end. There will always be damp and gritty towels hanging on the line. The dogs will always be panting and snorting from the humidity. I will always be flopped upon my bed while the air conditioner blows its icy coolness on me.

Speaking of towels, the girls and I are on the cape this week with Nana and The Laundry King, otherwise known as my dad. Last night after we took baths Rebecca was in ecstasy because my dad dries the towels in the dryer.

"So fluffy!" she gushed.

"So soft!" she trilled.

"Mommy! When will you start using the dryer again? Our towels are like cardboard compared to these!" she cried.

I wish that I were exaggerating. The misery of her childhood knows no end.

Anyway, tomorrow my children are going on a whale watch with my folks which means that I must face the inevitable end of summer and begin to plan a years worth of learning.

For many mothers, the end of summer heralds freedom as their demon spawn precious angels go back to school. For our family the end of summer will bring the end of the most carefree summer of our lives. Most of summer was spent with friends and family at the beach. There was very little camp and very little formal learning and it has been the perfect antidote to a year of studies and activities.

While my own demon spawn precious angels are on a boat in the Atlantic searching for whales, I will be at Barnes and Noble deciding how I can torment my children which workbooks we will use. I will begin preparing lessons and contemplating our second year of homeschooling.

The end of summer is bittersweet, but having a day at the bookstore by myself? Pure sweet.